Some Endings Are A Relief

I remember my junior year and senior year attending San Jose State University. I felt relief when I completed my last final exam of the semester. The relief feeling was the same for a good semester and for a bad semester. All semester obligations completed. The stress was removed. The tension was gone. The brain relaxed. Freedom. My post-semester activity was shopping later in the day after the last final. In particular, I completed my Christmas shopping after the fall semesters. The mandatory stores were Valley Fair shopping mall in Santa Clara, CA; Fry's Electronics; and Barnes & Noble.

There was no post-quarter activity after I completed a quarter when I went back to school at De Anza College. There was no relief. There was no post-quarter activity. Stress and tension were mild compared to San Jose State University. I was in my mid 30's with life experience, maturity, and not repeating my mistakes as a second-time college student.

I digress. The end eventually happens. It's over. Finish. Complete. Victory or defeat. Win or loss. It's the end. Take time off. Stop. Take a breath. Evaluate. Debrief. Reflect. Think of the positives. Think of the negatives. Strengthen the accomplishments. Correct the mistakes. Resume life or continue living life when the break is over. It's the life system.

A Third Look At 2011

I give a special case to take a third look at the 2011 blogs. I wrote A Second Look At 2011 on Aug 9, 2012. I started A Second Look blogs written in Dec for the 2013 year blogs because the goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes. I wrote A Second Look At 2011 blogs which were given eight months. A Second Look At 2010 blogs were given five months written on May 13, 2011. There is no plan to take a third look at 2010 as of today. I give myself 13 years relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes from 2011.

1. Established Today And Tomorrow
Date: Sat Jan 1
Summary: Nobody is 100% established. Life finds a way to lower the percentage established regardless of a person's choice.
Feedback: The first 2011 blog makes it to A Third Look. A wisdom acquired I'm reminded. Appearances can be deceiving when people see other people. Is the person or are the people established to the maximum? Is the person or are the people under established? My intuition tells me most people are under established? I can say people's weakness prevent maximum establishment.

2. De Anza Week Jan 31, 2011
Date: Thur Feb 3
Summary: I attended Mission College to take a class on Quickbooks.
Feedback: I forgot I attended Mission College in Winter 2011 quarter and Spring 2011 quarter on Tue nights. The semester class was easy. I attended all classes sitting at the back with my laptop concentrating on the lectures half-ass. The project and the take-home final were easy as long as students started early.

3. De Anza Week Feb 28, 2011
Date: Sat Mar 5
Summary: I mentioned four weeks of fatigue on Mon Feb 28.
Feedback: I hesitate to share my feedback for the fatigue. Most college students experienced fatigue; however, as a college graduate with adult wisdom, if I minimized processed foods, spent less time watching anime, more time working out at the gym, slept more hours, and improved my prioritizations, then I reduced fatigue. Furthermore, I mentioned fatigue and sickness throughout the rest of the Winter 2011 blogs. Those two spread throughout campus like the early COVID-19 global pandemic.

4. De Anza Week Apr 18, 2011
Date: Sun Apr 24
Summary: The Mon Apr 18 entry I dropped Advanced Accounting. The Spring 2011 quarter was Auditing and Quickbooks at Mission College classes.
Feedback: A lesson to remember. A mistake I didn't repeat. It's okay to quit. It's okay to drop out. It was not a match. It didn't match my expectations. Anyone who says never quit a responsibility is partially correct. Staying or quitting depends on the circumstances. Staying or quitting is a judgement call.

Also, a representative from a CPA preparation course gave his sales pitch for students to enroll in CPA preparation courses. The students learned a bachelors degree is required to become a CPA. The professor confirmed the CPA changed. A rising tide raises all boats.

Number four third look is in a second look.

5. Meet Fraudster Barry Minkow
Date: Thur May 5
Summary: The auditing professor passed out an article on 1980s fraudster Barry Minkow.
Feedback: Minkow teaches the lesson, "Do not trust--verify."

60 Minutes Minkow interview Barry Minkow Master Mind of the ZZZZ Best Fraud.

6. De Anza Week June 6, 2011
Date: Mon Jun 13
Summary: I lost interest in Auditing class. Boring lectures. Survival mode. Too much to learn in a quarter. Information overload.
Feedback: The Auditing class is one of my best personal examples there is too much to learn in too little time. We live in the Information Age. More jobs require more training, more knowledge, and higher costs. The additional time spent in leisure doesn't pay the rent.

Number six third look is in a second look.

7. The Unemployed Like Me Has Expenses
Date: Sun Sep 18
Summary: The unemployed people must pay to live.
Feedback: The blog stands the test of time. I said, "The unemployed people living in today's tough economy still has to live life: eat, wear [clothes], drive to places, stay clean, [stay] in touch with people via cell phone and/or internet, mail letters, and more." Also, "The unemployed most likely has more time than money. Use the extra time wisely to prepare for your next job and be a better person."

8. A Childhood Lowlight
Date: Sun Oct 23
Summary: My childhood was inactive. There was no learning outside the schools. I didn't have friends outside the schools. There was too much solo fun. There was little parental involvement. Life was too easy.
Feedback: I can't change the past. I'm correcting as many mistakes as I can today. I continue catching up what I missed all the way back to my childhood. I forgive my parents.

9. I Must Declare Bankruptcy If I Was 15 Trillion Dollars In Debt
Date: Tue Nov 22
Summary: The United States Of America was $15.04 trillion in debt.
Feedback: The United States Of America is $36.05 trillion in debt.

10. The Human's Most Precious Possession
Date: Tue Nov 29
Summary: Memories are the human's most precious possession.
Feedback: True today. Take care of your brains. Never take brains for granted.

Number ten third look is in a second look.

Top Ten Good Connected The Dots It Was An Introduction

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." --Steve Jobs

I look back at my past moments. I look back at my past actions. I look back at my past choices. I connected the dots . . . it was an introduction. These top ten made me a better person today. These top ten lead to positive outcomes today. Nobody knew these top ten turned out well. I didn't know. I made the best choices which were successful. I made more than my share of bad choices. These bad choices were good choices initially. Time is the ultimate judge. Here are the top ten good connected the dots it was an introduction.

10. Home Version Mini Gym (Mar 2020). I purchased a Muscle & Fitness May 2018 magazine. One article contained weight plate workouts. California announced the state shutdown on Tue Mar 17, 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The people of California were given a 24-hour notice. I purchased a 45 pound plate and a 25 pound plate at a specialty fitness store. All major sport chain stores their fitness equipment were sold out. I began working out at home on Mar 2020.

9. eBay (2002). eBay is a great place to find bargains. eBay is a great place to sell my junk. I have sold lots of junk to create free space. eBay is prioritized over Amazon.

8. Classic Rock Music (Sep 2005). I was introduced to the local classic rock station 98.5 KFOX. The station saved me from driving without music. I lost interest in pop music. Classic rock is one of my favorite music today. The Beatles is my favorite band.

7. Washington Canada 2005 and 2008 (Aug 27-Sep 4, 2005 and Nov 15-20, 2008). I visited my Washington friend in his home state for the first time in 2005. It was my first time in Washington. It was my first trip visiting Canada in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. The 2005 trip helped me navigate Vancouver in Mar 2007 for a business trip.

The 2005 trip lead to a second visit in 2008. The timing was good because I needed a life distraction desperately. The vacation satisfied the distraction. One place I visited was REI for the first time in their Downtown Seattle location. I signed up for their REI lifetime membership. The membership paid off because hiking became a new hobby in Apr 2009. My first purchases were hiking clothes, shoes, and a backpack at the REI Anniversary Sale in May 2009.

6. Ballroom Dancing and De Anza College (Jan 2009-Jun 2011). My sister was an amateur ballroom dancer. She introduced me to ballroom dancing. I took dancing classes at De Anza College starting in Mar 2009. I continued attending De Anza College full time majoring in Accounting and taking dance classes. I earned my AA degree in Mar 2011. I finished in Jun 2011. Going back to school was a second chance to relive life as a true college student. My experience was satisfactory.

5. innovateinfinitely.com Is Online (May 1, 2004). I created my first webpage at geocities.com after learning HTML in 1998. Innovate Infinitely was created driving to Japantown-San Jose in Sep 2000. The words "Innovate" and "Infinitely" came to my mind waiting at a signal light. I said the words together, "Innovate Infinitely . . . Never Stop Innovating Life."

I choose to create a web site to promote Innovate Infinitely. The webpage went online on May 1, 2004.

4. I Became An Anime Fan (Summer 1996-Sep 2014). The first anime I watched was Ranma 1/2 in Dec 1993. I exclude Robotech, Transformers, and Voltron in the 1980s for the purposes of the top ten. I watched Sailor Moon in summer 1996. The first anime series I purchased was Ranma 1/2 season one on VHS in Dec 1996. I cosplayed for the first time on Sep 11, 2004. The character was Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist. I cosplayed at all anime conventions I attended from Sep 2004 to my last anime convention on May 24-27, 2013. I announced my retirement in Jul 2014 finishing the anime series Space Brothers in Sep 2014. I thank my mom for making the costumes.

3. O'Connor Hospital (Apr 2-6, 2017). I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I required two surgeries for the first time in my life. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. It was the first time I was a hospital in-patient. I lost 28 pounds afterwards. I'm currently at my best health in my life minimizing processed foods and drinking water when I'm thirsty.

Moreover, I eliminated dairy one month earlier. I lost five pounds immediately.

2. Ubuntu, Linux, and Python (Oct 2014). I was unemployed between Sep 2014 and Nov 2014. A friend encouraged me to learn Python by installing Ubuntu. I learn Python and Linux with Ubuntu. Fast forward to today. I learned FFMPEG on Linux. I run MySQL and R-Studio on Linux instead of Windows.

1. Self Job Training (Aug 2014). I failed an interview for a contract Data Analyst position because I failed the Excel tests. It was an example of use it or lose it. I started to relearn and refresh my Excel skills. I added Access, SQL, VBA, and PowerPoint. The job training inspired me to redesign my webpage using Sublime Text, relearning HTML, and learning JavaScript and CSS. I completed my self job training in analytics research technology in Apr 2024 consisting of learning and reviewing Excel, Power Pivot, Power Query, Power BI, SQL, Python, Linux, Git, and R-Studio.

Update On A Past Blog

The Wonder Years television show aired on ABC from Jan 31, 1988 to May 12, 1993. The show is about a suburban middle class family in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Season 1 episode 3 titled My Father's Office the main character 12 year old Kevin Arnold spent a work day with his father Jack Arnold at the fictional defense company Norcom. The scenes in Norcom are true today. Pay attention to the workers' desks. There are no computers. The men wore ties.

[HD] The Wonder Years: Kevin at Jack's Office The first scene Kevin and Jack in Norcom. There was no time for Jack to settle in. There was no time for Jack to tell Kevin his responsibilities. On the other hand, Kevin was impressed with Jack working his butt off. Jack tells Kevin, "Tell you want Kevin. It is time you learned about the most important part of the working day. The coffee break."

The Wonder Years (S01E03) - My Father's Office. I don't remember any scenes between the coffee break and going back to the office. Jack said, "You know, Kevin, you can't do every silly thing you want to in life. You have to make your choices. You have to try and be happy with them. I think we've done pretty well, don't you?" Voiceover older Kevin version said later, "But as we walk back to my father's office, I suddenly realized something that made a lot of things make sense. My dad was too good for this place. Sure, it was a good job, and we were all lucky he had it and all that, but my dad had something finer in him than S-14's and distribution reports. I'll never forget how I felt at that moment I felt that my father was a great man."

The episode reminded me of the blog Can I Be Overqualified? written on Jan 10, 2022. I speculate I may be overqualified because of the self job training learning new job skills. Almost no company wants to hire overqualified workers; although, all companies employ overqualified workers.

Throwback Blog: De Anza Week Mar 21, 2011

Blogger’s Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled De Anza Week Mar 21, 2011 in Mar 2011. Another De Anza College blog when I went back to school during the Great Recession. The Mar 21, 2011 week was finals week for the Winter Quarter 2011. I was sick before and during finals week. Moreover, it was mid-terms at Mission College where I took Quickbooks. I ended the blog saying Winter 2011 was my worse quarter. There was a sickness bug throughout campus. Motivation was weak. Student-teacher connections were weak. It was a fatigued quarter. Everyone had grit. Everyone adjusted.

Mon Mar 21

Today was the last day of instruction. Finals started tomorrow. My Intermediate Acct professor was on-call for jury duty. The probability was rare to be called in on the first day and the probability was rare to serve. My professor was called in and he served.

The professor arrived late. He showed his juror badge. The students received the practice final from a student at the beginning of class. We received extra credit by completing the practice final by Friday, the day of our final. The professor lectured and reviewed a few of the questions. The final was Chapters 16, 18, and 19.

Intro to Business was my first final. There were conflicts with some students if we took the final on Wed. Everyone choose to have the final today. The final was 100 questions consisted of 40% new material after the third mid-term and 60% old material. I didn’t study. My feeling was I passed the class. I answered all the accounting, stocks, and investment questions correctly. I better answered them correctly because I’m an accounting major and I followed the stock market during the dot-com era. I submitted more extra credit when I submitted my final. The extra credit was 20 points for selling a stock with at least $1,000 profit and 2 points for buying and selling an exchanged traded fund involving currency.

I went home one hour earlier. It took me one hour to complete the Intro to Business final.

Tue Mar 22

My sinus infection got worse Monday night. I scheduled an appointment in the afternoon with my primary care physician. He extended my antibiotics for five more days and said I continue to take Mucinix D. He also gave me a prescription for codeine and Nasonex.

Quickbooks class was short. We took our mid-term. The mid-term was 25 true and false and 15 multiple choice. 50% of the questions were from the textbook. I didn’t study. I answered the accounting concepts questions correctly. I better answered them correctly because I’m an accounting major. There was no lecture afterwards. I start working on the take home mid-term during spring break.

Wed Mar 23

I took two teaspoons of codeine and sprayed Nasonex inside my nose. It took me a long time to sleep. The codeine didn’t work.

I went to De Anza at 12:30pm because there was a study group for Intermediate Acct. Two students including myself showed up. I studied the textbook and my classmate worked on the practice mid-term. He looked at my practice mid-term I completed Tue afternoon as a guide. I spent Monday night and Tuesday afternoon on the practice mid-term.

I went back home to eat a late lunch and read Chapter 16. I drove back to De Anza at 7:10pm for the dance class final. The turnout was small. I recognized a few students who didn’t attend. They might not know we had a final. We reviewed the Cha Cha Cha, Waltz, Salsa, Nite Club Two-Step, and our dance demo West Coast Swing. The instructor ended the class as if tonight was a regular class meeting since finals we danced longer than a regular class meeting.

Fri Mar 25

This was it. I studied Chapters 16, 18, and 19 and reviewed the practice final twice for Intermediate Acct. I did my best. My goal was to pass the class. An A, B, or C grade doesn’t matter. I just wanted to pass. My sinus infection improved such that I cough less. I thought to myself I keep warm, I cough less. I drank lots of hot water. I stopped taking codeine on Wed night and continued spraying Nasonex. I continued the antibiotics and Mucinix D. My sleep was better Wed and Thur.

The Intermediate Acct final match the practice final mostly. The professor tweaked some of the questions such that students must know their basic Accounting 1B. I forgot most of my Accounting 1B. There were no CPA questions from Chapter 16. There were three questions exactly from the practice final. The final wasn’t hard in my opinion. I thought the final was written such that to earn an A on the final you must know basic 1B.

I returned my Intro to Business rented textbook to the bookstore. If students failed to return the textbook, the bookstore charged the full price on the textbook and the student owned it. Damn!

Highlights

There were few highlights in Winter ’11 quarter. Fall ’10 was the worse quarter. Winter ’11 is my worse quarter, and no other quarter comes as worse as this quarter. I choose to review the Winter ’11 highlights using a Q&A format.

What went wrong?

Laziness, boring classes, lost interest, lack of focus, no connection between the instructor and the students. There was no challenge. There was a fatigue bug throughout the quarter. It seemed everyone at De Anza including the teachers and staff were tired—lacked energy. There was also a sickness bug. My classmate in Intermediate Acct had the flu and missed one week. I had a sinus infection and I missed one week. My counselor said there was a sickness bug in her building.

The late lunch and study break between Intro to Business failed. I believed the break between the classes contributed to my quarter long fatigue. My late lunch didn’t give me enough energy to focus in dance class. I stopped attending Mon night dance class in March.

I should have taken more naps when I felt fatigue instead of fighting the fatigue. My fatigue contributed a significant part to my sinus infection.

Winter ’11 worse than San Jose State’s Fall Semester 1993?

Definitely no. I was naive, took my professors for granted such that they gave me a good grade anyways since I get along with them well, and making little efforts in my homework. I was immature back in 1993.

There were lots of incidents, events, and moments beyond your control.

There were too many. They were all in a negative way. Add them up and I felt frustrated, angry, and stressed. The small incidents included lots of red lights at intersections and long delays in the supermarket lines. The large incidents included my home almost robbed.

What was the Winter ’11 lesson learned?

I learned a life lesson in past quarters. There was no lesson learned.

What are your changes for Spring ’11?

One, consistency in my life. My daily schedule was inconsistent throughout the quarter. Sometimes I sleep early, sometimes I sleep late. Sometimes I have a good week working out three days a week, sometimes I have a bad week not working out at all.

Two, I want to control more of my life. If something bad happens, I want to take control to turn the bad to good.

Three, I have a break between my classes in Spring ’11. I’m going home instead of staying on campus.

Fourth, if I feel tired, I take a nap. Don’t fight it, sleep it.

January started great for everyone.

Yeah, January started great. I remember the first day of classes in Winter ’10. Nobody wanted to show up. The students, instructors, and staff wanted to go home and stay on vacation.

Everyone looked forward to Winter ’11 because many people had a bad 2010 year. They hoped for a good start to 2011. It seemed, at least in my classes and the staff I talked to, Winter ’11 was not a good start.

What saved Winter ’11 from a disaster?

First, seeing a doctor for my sinus infection. Initially I thought my sickness was something I recover myself like in 2009 and 2010. I needed a doctor to examine me and to prescribe antibiotics.

Second, changing my studying in Intermediate Acct. I was able to complete the pre-lecture homework without reading the chapter. The material and concepts became harder. I read the chapter first and then completed the pre-lecture homework. The change saved time, eased my frustration, and I understood the material faster.

Third, took it slow and did a little each time. For example, most of the quarter I completed my Intermediate Acct homework all in one day. The last month I completed the homework a little each day up to the due date.

Fourth, stopped attending Monday night dance class. I got more free time eating and studying at home on Mondays instead of staying on campus.

How fast was Winter ’11?

It was the fastest quarter and the fastest three months ever in my life. One advantage to the quarter system was if the class stinks, it ends faster than semester.

You received information in Fall ’10 there was a highly recommended Intro to Business instructor. He taught Tuesday and Thursday. You didn’t want to attend classes four days a week. You registered for a Monday and Wednesday Intro to Business class after Intermediate Acct. It turned out the Monday and Wednesday instructor was boring. Should you have taken the guarantee Tuesday and Thursday class?

Hindsight is 20/20. I thought nobody can screw up an introduction class. I was wrong. My Monday and Wednesday instructor was boring, unchallenging, and the homework assignments were either too easy or too confusing. If somebody can screw up a cooking a hamburger, somebody can screw up anything.

What was something you’re not going to miss?

The Intro to Business lesson videos.

What were the highlights?

I watched classic movies I checked out at the library, I submitted graduation forms, and I ate out less often.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Throwback Blog: My All De Anza Review Blog

Blogger’s Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled My All De Anza Review Blog in Dec 2012. I blogged a self Q&A discussing my experiences at De Anza College. I reread my review blog. There was one answer I questioned today. One of the reasons I started taking Accounting classes was companies not hiring during the great recession. I know two people who found jobs in 2009. Time will tell whether my two years at De Anza pays off which currently has not.

Blogger's note: I wanted to blog my all De Anza review when I found a job. Unfortunately, I haven't found a job. The timing is appropriate to post my review. I use a Q&A interview format pretending 60 Minutes' correspondent Steve Kroft is interviewing me. My favorite articles were the financial crisis and real estate bubble.

The blog entry is unedited for grammar and content. 60 Minutes is represented by "60M" and I'm represented by "RM".

Introduction

60M: It's been 18 months since Raymond Mar attended De Anza College. Mr. Mar earned an AA degree in Accounting. His contract job at a telecommunications company was terminated in 2008. The financial crisis and real estate bubble bursted at that time. "I knew family and friends who lost their jobs," said Mar. He chose to go back to school rather than look for a job in a bleak job market.

We sit down and ask whether going back to De Anza was worth his time from Mar. 2009 to June 2011.

Interview

60M: What inspired you to go back to school?

RM: Actually, my first classes were ballroom dancing, strength training, and beginning Japanese. I dropped Japanese because the instructor, the sensei, taught too fast. I asked my friends who took Japanese at other colleges. All of them agreed I must drop Japanese. I saw a classmate in another class the next quarter. She said half of the class dropped before finals.

60M: What about ballroom dancing and strength training?

RM: My sister encouraged me to take ballroom dancing. She competed in amateur ballroom dancing competitions. She also went to school, and she didn't have time to teach me. As for strength training, I wanted to take a class to learn how to lift weights properly.

Ballroom dancing was fun. I met lots of people and made lots of friends. I met my girlfriend, too.

60M: In Fall '09, you choose to take an accounting class.

RM: Accounting was one of my majors I wanted to change after quitting majoring in Mathematics at San Jose State. I choose Economics. I thought I take the first accounting class and see what happens. If I liked it, I continue and work my way to earn an AA degree. After all, nobody was hiring during the financial meltdown. I had lots of free time.

As it turned out, I liked accounting and continued taking accounting classes, as well as taking ballroom dancing.

60M: You were a little careless taking your accounting classes.

RM: I admit I was a little careless. I took a couple of classes I didn't need to take. It turned out those couple of classes were taught by terrible instructors. One class was a complete waste of time. I should have dropped it when that class had too many students. That Spring '10 quarter I took that overcrowded class was the busiest quarter in terms of homework and studying.

Yeah, I should have planned out what classes to take. On the other hand, I wanted to take that overcrowded class when the first opportunity came to me because I never know when the next time the class was offered considering budget cuts.

60M: What were the biggest mistakes you made?

RM: I start with two mistakes I corrected. The first mistake was taking Japanese. Fortunately, I dropped the class. The second mistake was taking Advanced Accounting, a class I didn't need to take.

60M: It sounds like Advanced Accounting was required.

RM: It wasn't. I took the class out of self interest after I earned my AA degree. The professor was the worse professor ever, and that includes San Jose State. He couldn't lecture and couldn't explain the concepts just to save his life. We played games.

60M: Games?

RM: Yeah, games. Once a week, he brought these buzzers. All the students were divided in teams. The professor asked questions and the students answered them correctly to earn extra credit. You don't need extra credit because his grading was easier than high school exams.

Another game was the professor show an image he took in campus. Located and identify the image and you earned extra credit. Likewise for movies. The professor showed a clip from a movie related to accounting. Identify the movie and you earned extra credit.

Anyways, the third mistake that I failed to correct was taking a singing class. I took singing after playing Beatles Rock Band. I was inspired to learn how to sing better because I was the singer in the video game. There was nothing wrong with the instructor. It was just that the class didn't meet my expectations and I wasted gas and time driving to campus for just one evening.

The lesson was sometimes its okay to quit. There were more important priorities and better uses for my time.

60M: What were the lessons you learned? Of course you learned accounting.

RM: The lessons were everyone is human, go with the flow, timing is everything, and use it or lose it.

60M: Those four are life lessons.

RM: Yup, life lessons. Going back to De Anza was a second chance in my life. It was my mulligan card. I wanted to correct my mistakes or don't repeat my mistakes I did at San Jose State. I wanted to experience life as a college student again. I wanted to be a college student the right way.

60M: What was the right way?

RM: I wanted to meet new people and make new friends. (Thank you Facebook.) I wanted to experience new experiences and seek new adventures. For example, there was ballroom dancing I mentioned earlier. Others included hiking, visiting the Charles Schulz museum, playing Starcraft 2, visiting Monterey and Carmel, and much more. I didn't want to take college seriously like I did at San Jose State. Have fun, relax. Complete homework and projects last minute. Don't study too hard. Open myself up to something new from the simple try new foods to the first time moments riding a San Francisco cable car, and dating.

60M: Fall '10 was your best quarter. Why?

RM: That quarter I met the most people and made the most friends. One class everyone worked in teams for in-class work and for group presentation. I was lucky my group was the best in teamwork and presentation. The rest of the other groups experienced problems. The downside was the instructor was a bitch.

60M: Lol

RM: The downside of Fall '10 was I had to attend classes four days a week instead of two days for all of the other quarters.

Another best was the movie of the week checking out a DVD from the library. All of the DVDs I checked out must be from the American Film Institute Top 100 list in 1997, not 2007. *looking at the list* Some of the movies I watched were Midnight Cowboy, Citizen Kane, On The Waterfront, Singin' In The Rain, Some Like It Hot, Chinatown, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo, The French Connection, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. I also watched Rosemary's Baby.

60M: Some people say you should not have gone back to school. Instead you either find another job despite the bad economy or take a class on a specialty skill such as a software program. Further, even though you have an AA degree in Accounting and a BS in Economics from San Jose State, you're having problems finding a job now since many jobs want relevant and/or recent job experience. How do you respond?

RM: If I went back in time to Mar 2009, I still go back to De Anza, or at least Sept 2009 when I took my first accounting class. The experiences, the people, the memories, the lessons on life, everything from Mar 2009 to June 2011 made me a better person who I am today. I mentioned earlier about the mulligan. Everyone deserves a mulligan. I used my mulligan on going back to school.

Going back to De Anza was like a time out in my life, a long time out. Going back to De Anza was a life refresher, to rediscover who I am, to find who I wasn't. Slow down, relax, don't repeat my past mistakes again. It was a time to be a grown up, a mature person. Everything, everything I experienced I apply for all my present and future relationships, my careers, and my daily living life.

I'm optimistic I find a job. I was interviewed seven times this year. I received calls from recruiters and hiring managers. It's a matter of when I find a job and start my life after college part 2. I need a little luck and timing in my favor.

60M: What was your worse quarter?

RM: I say Winter '11, technically my last quarter. I got sick and missed a week. The instructor for my Intro to Business was boring. Oh, BTW, I still remember the videos we watched and that opening theme song.

Spring '10 came in second. Listening to Beatles, classical music, classic jazz, and Vocaloid music helped me study well.

60M: You choose to continue taking an accounting class in Spring '11, the quarter after you graduated. Why?

RM: I enrolled in Auditing and Advanced Accounting. I dropped Advanced Accounting as mentioned earlier. Auditing was a hard class. I actually learned a few things I apply when I hear business news about disclaimers, security breaches, fraud, and embezzlement. It wasn't a waste of time. I was in survival mode for most of Spring '11, yet I didn't take the class too seriously such that I spent hours and hours studying. I had a life.

Auditing was a class to complete the full circle of all the accounting classes I took.

60M: In the Auditing class, you met a classmate who graduated at a CSU school with a business degree. Tell me what information she gave you.

RM: That recent graduate was smart and a quick learner. I remember one class meeting she arrived late. We had an in-class assignment. She opened the chapter, read a few pages, and then answered the questions correctly. She never took auditing as an undergraduate.

The information she told me was clarifying graduating with a BA in accounting. There was no such thing as an accounting degree, at least at the CSU schools. Business majors graduated with a business degree with an emphasis in accounting, or finance, or marketing. We went to the library, went online to compare an AA degree in Accounting and a BA in Business-Accounting. There was little difference. Most of the classes for an AA degree were the same classes for a BA. The major difference was two or three classes not taught at junior college. Further, if I were to transfer, I had to retake at least my two quarters of Intermediate Accounting because those credits were non-transferrable.

The bottom line was I could have a BA in Business-Accounting should I count my GE classes at San Jose State. It's those two or three classes that made the difference between an AA and a BA. How about that. Something to think about. I bet most BA or BS majors don't know just a couple of classes makes the difference between another BA or BS and an AA degree.

60M: How were the instructors overall?

RM: Overall, the instructors were good. Most of the part time instructors were good. Some of them really cared and some took time to share life experiences. The full time instructors were so-so. Having said that, students going to community colleges, I suggest you favor part timers.

60M: Timing was in your favor. You got all your classes at favorable times, with the exception of Fall '10 when you attended school four days a week. The friends who still attend De Anza said it's worse now.

RM: It's one of my life lessons I learned. Timing is everything. All my friends told me overcrowding is at the worse and classes are harder to get. They're seeing older age people unemployed going back to school.

60M: Share some little tid bits.

RM: I remember World Cup '10 was huge. The cafeteria had big screen projectors. I remember a group of card gamers moving all the tables together and playing card games. They're a perfect example of geek gamers. Do I want to meet them? No.

The cooks who worked the grill gave lots and lots of fries when people ordered the burger combos. Even their breakfast menu was decent. Prices were all reasonable. No refills on fountain drinks.

The only time I cut class was when I was sick. I never cut class just for the heck of it. To be honest, there was no reason to cut just for the heck of it.

There were three rooms I attended classes two or more times. Two of the three rooms I earned A grades all the time. Moreover, all my classes took place in two buildings and the computer lab, with the exception of the singing and ballroom dancing.

I ate lunch outside De Anza two times, and they were all on the first day of school for the two quarters.

60M: Compare the students at De Anza to when you were a student attending San Jose State.

RM: De Anza students had cell phones and smart phones. San Jose State students a few had cell phones, and you needed either a land line or pager to communicate. Email was spreading slowly. De Anza students could buy books on the web or at the bookstore, or buy a cheaper .pdf copy. San Jose State students bought at the bookstores only. The short answer was technology and communicating.

De Anza students could take tests and submit homework online. San Jose State students all work were done in class. And De Anza students had portable mp3 players for music. San Jose State students had walkmans.

De Anza students registered online. San Jose State students register by phone using a class scheduled printed hardcopy.

60M: Raymond Mar continues to think about De Anza occasionally, much more than San Jose State. He believes college students today have an easier time than when he attended San Jose State. Students today use technology to help with their assignments, keep in touch with friends and instructors, register for classes, and get their final grades. On the other hand, he fears that the technology today can make more people being alone and too independent.

The biggest mistake when he attended San Jose State was meeting very little people. That should be life lesson number #5: always meet new people.

Mar has experienced recruiters and hiring managers not considering him because of his lack of recent job experience and going back to school. What you do being unemployed can be just as important as what you did at your recent job. Right now is the best time to hire Mr. Mar because he's a better person who's more professional and more mature than ever.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

My All De Anza Review Blog

Blogger's note: I wanted to blog my all De Anza review when I found a job. Unfortunately, I haven't found a job. The timing is appropriate to post my review. I use a Q&A interview format pretending 60 Minutes' correspondent Steve Kroft is interviewing me. My favorite articles were the financial crisis and real estate bubble.

The blog entry is unedited for grammar and content. 60 Minutes is represented by "60M" and I'm represented by "RM".

Introduction

60M: It's been 18 months since Raymond Mar attended De Anza College. Mr. Mar earned an AA degree in Accounting. His contract job at a telecommunications company was terminated in 2008. The financial crisis and real estate bubble bursted at that time. "I knew family and friends who lost their jobs," said Mar. He chose to go back to school rather than look for a job in a bleak job market.

We sit down and ask whether going back to De Anza was worth his time from Mar. 2009 to June 2011.

Interview

60M: What inspired you to go back to school?

RM: Actually, my first classes were ballroom dancing, strength training, and beginning Japanese. I dropped Japanese because the instructor, the sensei, taught too fast. I asked my friends who took Japanese at other colleges. All of them agreed I must drop Japanese. I saw a classmate in another class the next quarter. She said half of the class dropped before finals.

60M: What about ballroom dancing and strength training?

RM: My sister encouraged me to take ballroom dancing. She competed in amateur ballroom dancing competitions. She also went to school, and she didn't have time to teach me. As for strength training, I wanted to take a class to learn how to lift weights properly.

Ballroom dancing was fun. I met lots of people and made lots of friends. I met my girlfriend, too.

60M: In Fall '09, you choose to take an accounting class.

RM: Accounting was one of my majors I wanted to change after quitting majoring in Mathematics at San Jose State. I choose Economics. I thought I take the first accounting class and see what happens. If I liked it, I continue and work my way to earn an AA degree. After all, nobody was hiring during the financial meltdown. I had lots of free time.

As it turned out, I liked accounting and continued taking accounting classes, as well as taking ballroom dancing.

60M: You were a little careless taking your accounting classes.

RM: I admit I was a little careless. I took a couple of classes I didn't need to take. It turned out those couple of classes were taught by terrible instructors. One class was a complete waste of time. I should have dropped it when that class had too many students. That Spring '10 quarter I took that overcrowded class was the busiest quarter in terms of homework and studying.

Yeah, I should have planned out what classes to take. On the other hand, I wanted to take that overcrowded class when the first opportunity came to me because I never know when the next time the class was offered considering budget cuts.

60M: What were the biggest mistakes you made?

RM: I start with two mistakes I corrected. The first mistake was taking Japanese. Fortunately, I dropped the class. The second mistake was taking Advanced Accounting, a class I didn't need to take.

60M: It sounds like Advanced Accounting was required.

RM: It wasn't. I took the class out of self interest after I earned my AA degree. The professor was the worse professor ever, and that includes San Jose State. He couldn't lecture and couldn't explain the concepts just to save his life. We played games.

60M: Games?

RM: Yeah, games. Once a week, he brought these buzzers. All the students were divided in teams. The professor asked questions and the students answered them correctly to earn extra credit. You don't need extra credit because his grading was easier than high school exams.

Another game was the professor show an image he took in campus. Located and identify the image and you earned extra credit. Likewise for movies. The professor showed a clip from a movie related to accounting. Identify the movie and you earned extra credit.

Anyways, the third mistake that I failed to correct was taking a singing class. I took singing after playing Beatles Rock Band. I was inspired to learn how to sing better because I was the singer in the video game. There was nothing wrong with the instructor. It was just that the class didn't meet my expectations and I wasted gas and time driving to campus for just one evening.

The lesson was sometimes its okay to quit. There were more important priorities and better uses for my time.

60M: What were the lessons you learned? Of course you learned accounting.

RM: The lessons were everyone is human, go with the flow, timing is everything, and use it or lose it.

60M: Those four are life lessons.

RM: Yup, life lessons. Going back to De Anza was a second chance in my life. It was my mulligan card. I wanted to correct my mistakes or don't repeat my mistakes I did at San Jose State. I wanted to experience life as a college student again. I wanted to be a college student the right way.

60M: What was the right way?

RM: I wanted to meet new people and make new friends. (Thank you Facebook.) I wanted to experience new experiences and seek new adventures. For example, there was ballroom dancing I mentioned earlier. Others included hiking, visiting the Charles Schulz museum, playing Starcraft 2, visiting Monterey and Carmel, and much more. I didn't want to take college seriously like I did at San Jose State. Have fun, relax. Complete homework and projects last minute. Don't study too hard. Open myself up to something new from the simple try new foods to the first time moments riding a San Francisco cable car, and dating.

60M: Fall '10 was your best quarter. Why?

RM: That quarter I met the most people and made the most friends. One class everyone worked in teams for in-class work and for group presentation. I was lucky my group was the best in teamwork and presentation. The rest of the other groups experienced problems. The downside was the instructor was a bitch.

60M: Lol

RM: The downside of Fall '10 was I had to attend classes four days a week instead of two days for all of the other quarters.

Another best was the movie of the week checking out a DVD from the library. All of the DVDs I checked out must be from the American Film Institute Top 100 list in 1997, not 2007. *looking at the list* Some of the movies I watched were Midnight Cowboy, Citizen Kane, On The Waterfront, Singin' In The Rain, Some Like It Hot, Chinatown, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo, The French Connection, and Yankee Doodle Dandy. I also watched Rosemary's Baby.

60M: Some people say you should not have gone back to school. Instead you either find another job despite the bad economy or take a class on a specialty skill such as a software program. Further, even though you have an AA degree in Accounting and a BS in Economics from San Jose State, you're having problems finding a job now since many jobs want relevant and/or recent job experience. How do you respond?

RM: If I went back in time to Mar 2009, I still go back to De Anza, or at least Sept 2009 when I took my first accounting class. The experiences, the people, the memories, the lessons on life, everything from Mar 2009 to June 2011 made me a better person who I am today. I mentioned earlier about the mulligan. Everyone deserves a mulligan. I used my mulligan on going back to school.

Going back to De Anza was like a time out in my life, a long time out. Going back to De Anza was a life refresher, to rediscover who I am, to find who I wasn't. Slow down, relax, don't repeat my past mistakes again. It was a time to be a grown up, a mature person. Everything, everything I experienced I apply for all my present and future relationships, my careers, and my daily living life.

I'm optimistic I find a job. I was interviewed seven times this year. I received calls from recruiters and hiring managers. It's a matter of when I find a job and start my life after college part 2. I need a little luck and timing in my favor.

60M: What was your worse quarter?

RM: I say Winter '11, technically my last quarter. I got sick and missed a week. The instructor for my Intro to Business was boring. Oh, BTW, I still remember the videos we watched and that opening theme song.

Spring '10 came in second. Listening to Beatles, classical music, classic jazz, and Vocaloid music helped me study well.

60M: You choose to continue taking an accounting class in Spring '11, the quarter after you graduated. Why?

RM: I enrolled in Auditing and Advanced Accounting. I dropped Advanced Accounting as mentioned earlier. Auditing was a hard class. I actually learned a few things I apply when I hear business news about disclaimers, security breaches, fraud, and embezzlement. It wasn't a waste of time. I was in survival mode for most of Spring '11, yet I didn't take the class too seriously such that I spent hours and hours studying. I had a life.

Auditing was a class to complete the full circle of all the accounting classes I took.

60M: In the Auditing class, you met a classmate who graduated at a CSU school with a business degree. Tell me what information she gave you.

RM: That recent graduate was smart and a quick learner. I remember one class meeting she arrived late. We had an in-class assignment. She opened the chapter, read a few pages, and then answered the questions correctly. She never took auditing as an undergraduate.

The information she told me was clarifying graduating with a BA in accounting. There was no such thing as an accounting degree, at least at the CSU schools. Business majors graduated with a business degree with an emphasis in accounting, or finance, or marketing. We went to the library, went online to compare an AA degree in Accounting and a BA in Business-Accounting. There was little difference. Most of the classes for an AA degree were the same classes for a BA. The major difference was two or three classes not taught at junior college. Further, if I were to transfer, I had to retake at least my two quarters of Intermediate Accounting because those credits were non-transferrable.

The bottom line was I could have a BA in Business-Accounting should I count my GE classes at San Jose State. It's those two or three classes that made the difference between an AA and a BA. How about that. Something to think about. I bet most BA or BS majors don't know just a couple of classes makes the difference between another BA or BS and an AA degree.

60M: How were the instructors overall?

RM: Overall, the instructors were good. Most of the part time instructors were good. Some of them really cared and some took time to share life experiences. The full time instructors were so-so. Having said that, students going to community colleges, I suggest you favor part timers.

60M: Timing was in your favor. You got all your classes at favorable times, with the exception of Fall '10 when you attended school four days a week. The friends who still attend De Anza said it's worse now.

RM: It's one of my life lessons I learned. Timing is everything. All my friends told me overcrowding is at the worse and classes are harder to get. They're seeing older age people unemployed going back to school.

60M: Share some little tid bits.

RM: I remember World Cup '10 was huge. The cafeteria had big screen projectors. I remember a group of card gamers moving all the tables together and playing card games. They're a perfect example of geek gamers. Do I want to meet them? No.

The cooks who worked the grill gave lots and lots of fries when people ordered the burger combos. Even their breakfast menu was decent. Prices were all reasonable. No refills on fountain drinks.

The only time I cut class was when I was sick. I never cut class just for the heck of it. To be honest, there was no reason to cut just for the heck of it.

There were three rooms I attended classes two or more times. Two of the three rooms I earned A grades all the time. Moreover, all my classes took place in two buildings and the computer lab, with the exception of the singing and ballroom dancing.

I ate lunch outside De Anza two times, and they were all on the first day of school for the two quarters.

60M: Compare the students at De Anza to when you were a student attending San Jose State.

RM: De Anza students had cell phones and smart phones. San Jose State students a few had cell phones, and you needed either a land line or pager to communicate. Email was spreading slowly. De Anza students could buy books on the web or at the bookstore, or buy a cheaper .pdf copy. San Jose State students bought at the bookstores only. The short answer was technology and communicating.

De Anza students could take tests and submit homework online. San Jose State students all work were done in class. And De Anza students had portable mp3 players for music. San Jose State students had walkmans.

De Anza students registered online. San Jose State students register by phone using a class scheduled printed hardcopy.

60M: Raymond Mar continues to think about De Anza occasionally, much more than San Jose State. He believes college students today have an easier time than when he attended San Jose State. Students today use technology to help with their assignments, keep in touch with friends and instructors, register for classes, and get their final grades. On the other hand, he fears that the technology today can make more people being alone and too independent.

The biggest mistake when he attended San Jose State was meeting very little people. That should be life lesson number #5: always meet new people.

Mar has experienced recruiters and hiring managers not considering him because of his lack of recent job experience and going back to school. What you do being unemployed can be just as important as what you did at your recent job. Right now is the best time to hire Mr. Mar because he's a better person who's more professional and more mature than ever.

De Anza Week Mar 21, 2011

Mon Mar 21

Today was the last day of instruction. Finals started tomorrow. My Intermediate Acct professor was on-call for jury duty. The probability was rare to be called in on the first day and the probability was rare to serve. My professor was called in and he served.

The professor arrived late. He showed his juror badge. The students received the practice final from a student at the beginning of class. We received extra credit by completing the practice final by Friday, the day of our final. The professor lectured and reviewed a few of the questions. The final was Chapters 16, 18, and 19.

Intro to Business was my first final. There were conflicts with some students if we took the final on Wed. Everyone choose to have the final today. The final was 100 questions consisted of 40% new material after the third mid-term and 60% old material. I didn’t study. My feeling was I passed the class. I answered all the accounting, stocks, and investment questions correctly. I better answered them correctly because I’m an accounting major and I followed the stock market during the dot-com era. I submitted more extra credit when I submitted my final. The extra credit was 20 points for selling a stock with at least $1,000 profit and 2 points for buying and selling an exchanged traded fund involving currency.

I went home one hour earlier. It took me one hour to complete the Intro to Business final.

Tue Mar 22

My sinus infection got worse Monday night. I scheduled an appointment in the afternoon with my primary care physician. He extended my antibiotics for five more days and said I continue to take Mucinix D. He also gave me a prescription for codeine and Nasonex.

Quickbooks class was short. We took our mid-term. The mid-term was 25 true and false and 15 multiple choice. 50% of the questions were from the textbook. I didn’t study. I answered the accounting concepts questions correctly. I better answered them correctly because I’m an accounting major. There was no lecture afterwards. I start working on the take home mid-term during spring break.

Wed Mar 23

I took two teaspoons of codeine and sprayed Nasonex inside my nose. It took me a long time to sleep. The codeine didn’t work.

I went to De Anza at 12:30pm because there was a study group for Intermediate Acct. Two students including myself showed up. I studied the textbook and my classmate worked on the practice mid-term. He looked at my practice mid-term I completed Tue afternoon as a guide. I spent Monday night and Tuesday afternoon on the practice mid-term.

I went back home to eat a late lunch and read Chapter 16. I drove back to De Anza at 7:10pm for the dance class final. The turnout was small. I recognized a few students who didn’t attend. They might not know we had a final. We reviewed the Cha Cha Cha, Waltz, Salsa, Nite Club Two-Step, and our dance demo West Coast Swing. The instructor ended the class as if tonight was a regular class meeting since finals we danced longer than a regular class meeting.

Fri Mar 25

This was it. I studied Chapters 16, 18, and 19 and reviewed the practice final twice for Intermediate Acct. I did my best. My goal was to pass the class. An A, B, or C grade doesn’t matter. I just wanted to pass. My sinus infection improved such that I cough less. I thought to myself I keep warm, I cough less. I drank lots of hot water. I stopped taking codeine on Wed night and continued spraying Nasonex. I continued the antibiotics and Mucinix D. My sleep was better Wed and Thur.

The Intermediate Acct final match the practice final mostly. The professor tweaked some of the questions such that students must know their basic Accounting 1B. I forgot most of my Accounting 1B. There were no CPA questions from Chapter 16. There were three questions exactly from the practice final. The final wasn’t hard in my opinion. I thought the final was written such that to earn an A on the final you must know basic 1B.

I returned my Intro to Business rented textbook to the bookstore. If students failed to return the textbook, the bookstore charged the full price on the textbook and the student owned it. Damn!

Highlights

There were few highlights in Winter ’11 quarter. Fall ’10 was the worse quarter. Winter ’11 is my worse quarter, and no other quarter comes as worse as this quarter. I choose to review the Winter ’11 highlights using a Q&A format.

What went wrong?

Laziness, boring classes, lost interest, lack of focus, no connection between the instructor and the students. There was no challenge. There was a fatigue bug throughout the quarter. It seemed everyone at De Anza including the teachers and staff were tired—lacked energy. There was also a sickness bug. My classmate in Intermediate Acct had the flu and missed one week. I had a sinus infection and I missed one week. My counselor said there was a sickness bug in her building.

The late lunch and study break between Intro to Business failed. I believed the break between the classes contributed to my quarter long fatigue. My late lunch didn’t give me enough energy to focus in dance class. I stopped attending Mon night dance class in March.

I should have taken more naps when I felt fatigue instead of fighting the fatigue. My fatigue contributed a significant part to my sinus infection.

Winter ’11 worse than San Jose State’s Fall Semester 1993?

Definitely no. I was naive, took my professors for granted such that they gave me a good grade anyways since I get along with them well, and making little efforts in my homework. I was immature back in 1993.

There were lots of incidents, events, and moments beyond your control.

There were too many. They were all in a negative way. Add them up and I felt frustrated, angry, and stressed. The small incidents included lots of red lights at intersections and long delays in the supermarket lines. The large incidents included my home almost robbed.

What was the Winter ’11 lesson learned?

I learned a life lesson in past quarters. There was no lesson learned.

What are your changes for Spring ‘11?

One, consistency in my life. My daily schedule was inconsistent throughout the quarter. Sometimes I sleep early, sometimes I sleep late. Sometimes I have a good week working out three days a week, sometimes I have a bad week not working out at all.

Two, I want to control more of my life. If something bad happens, I want to take control to turn the bad to good.

Three, I have a break between my classes in Spring ’11. I’m going home instead of staying on campus.

Fourth, if I feel tired, I take a nap. Don’t fight it, sleep it.

January started great for everyone.

Yeah, January started great. I remember the first day of classes in Winter ’10. Nobody wanted to show up. The students, instructors, and staff wanted to go home and stay on vacation.

Everyone looked forward to Winter ’11 because many people had a bad 2010 year. They hoped for a good start to 2011. It seemed, at least in my classes and the staff I talked to, Winter ’11 was not a good start.

What saved Winter ’11 from a disaster?

First, seeing a doctor for my sinus infection. Initially I thought my sickness was something I recover myself like in 2009 and 2010. I needed a doctor to examine me and to prescribe antibiotics.

Second, changing my studying in Intermediate Acct. I was able to complete the pre-lecture homework without reading the chapter. The material and concepts became harder. I read the chapter first and then completed the pre-lecture homework. The change saved time, eased my frustration, and I understood the material faster.

Third, took it slow and did a little each time. For example, most of the quarter I completed my Intermediate Acct homework all in one day. The last month I completed the homework a little each day up to the due date.

Fourth, stopped attending Monday night dance class. I got more free time eating and studying at home on Mondays instead of staying on campus.

How fast was Winter ’11?

It was the fastest quarter and the fastest three months ever in my life. One advantage to the quarter system was if the class stinks, it ends faster than semester.

You received information in Fall ’10 there was a highly recommended Intro to Business instructor. He taught Tuesday and Thursday. You didn’t want to attend classes four days a week. You registered for a Monday and Wednesday Intro to Business class after Intermediate Acct. It turned out the Monday and Wednesday instructor was boring. Should you have taken the guarantee Tuesday and Thursday class?

Hindsight is 20/20. I thought nobody can screw up an introduction class. I was wrong. My Monday and Wednesday instructor was boring, unchallenging, and the homework assignments were either too easy or too confusing. If somebody can screw up a cooking a hamburger, somebody can screw up anything.

What was something you’re not going to miss?

The Intro to Business lesson videos.

What were the highlights?

I watched classic movies I checked out at the library, I submitted graduation forms, and I ate out less often.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Mar 14, 2011

Mon Mar 14

I went to an urgent care clinic last Saturday. The doctor said I have a sinus infection. He prescribed an antibiotic and told me to take Mucinix D and saline solution for my nasal passageways. I went back to school today feeling much better because I actually went to sleep. My coughing and post nasal drip were under control.

My classmates in Intermediate Acct said I missed little. The professor didn’t pass out the student attendance checklist last week. Lucky! The professor takes into account attendance when he determines final grades. He lectured chapter 19 which is the last chapter. He didn’t have time to talk about chapter 17. I noticed there were lots of empty seats today. I wonder if students were sick or they dropped out.

I was curious what was behind the second exit door in the small lecture room for Intro to Business. I open the door on Wed. The instructor said the final is on Mon, the last day of class. I liked it. My priority is Intermediate Acct. I don’t care what grade I get in Intro to Business. The class is a lost cause to get an A. I prepare for the final just enough to pass. Missing last Wed’s class didn’t hurt me because I satisfied two mid-term grades. The instructor drops the lowest of the three mid-terms. My homework grades are in the mid 80% range. I missed two classes which affects my attendance grade. The extra credit I earned is not enough to raise my grade to an A.

I skipped Mon’s dance class that I have been skipping for weeks. I was sleepy I immediately went to bed when I arrived home.

Tue Mar 15

The Quickbooks mid-term is next week. The instructor told us what to study. And the instructor assigned the take home mid-term. I start working on the take home during spring vacation. Everything is going well in class. My numbers match the textbook.

Wed Mar 16

I wanted more sleep. I was half awake throughout the day. I had a quick breakfast and I shaved quickly. I rushed out of the house making sure I brought my dance shoes and a dress shirt for tonight’s Dance Demo and my De Anza and San Jose State transcripts to be reviewed with my counselor.

Intermediate Acct was a half day. The professor finished Chapter 19. Then he discussed the final. The final is Chapters 16, 18, and 19 only. It’s not cumulative. What a relief. The professor gives us a sample final on Mon. I talked to two of my classmates after class. We talked about accounting and jobs. We may get together during finals week for a study group. Intermediate Acct is my priority class for finals.

I opened the second exit door in the lecture room where I take Intro to Business. It looks like a service entrance like a shopping mall. I almost went to sleep during today’s lecture. I’m happy today is the last day he lectures. He’s boring! We reviewed the final which is cumulative. 40% new material and 60% old material. I think I can manage a C grade. I know most of the new material since they’re investments and accounting. Tomorrow I complete the last homework assignment and check my extra credit. I email the instructor for missing extra credit.

I scheduled an appointment with my counselor after my classes. I met her in a past dance class. She reviewed my transcripts and helped me complete the forms for my AA degree. I must go back to school tomorrow to drop off a sealed San Jose State transcript for Admissions & Records to review. My counselor said even some of the staff have been sick this quarter when we small talk how many people around campus seemed fatigue.

I ate a burger, fries, and soda in the cafeteria for my late lunch. I continued to stay awake. I was happy there was a soccer game on the flat screen.

Finally, the Dance Demo. I switched shirts from my purple shirt to a dress green shirt. My class did our West Coast Swing. Most of the students were afraid because only three couples including myself were the front row. I was brave. To be honest, I didn’t want to dance tonight. I just couldn’t concentrate. I did it, and I was at the first row. The instructor did a West Coast Swing dance with her partner after our class danced.

I took it easy tonight. I watch A Streetcar Named Desire Thursday morning and then I drive to De Anza to drop off the movie in the library and the transcripts in the counseling center.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Mar 7, 2011

Mon Mar 7

I skipped classes because I got the flu yesterday. Today’s blog I share my treatments and my past experiences being sick and attending college.

The fatigue got the best of me resulting in flu sickness. The last time I got the flu was in April 1999. Most of my adult life sickness started with a sore throat and then a cough with mucus or phlegm running down my throat. I took different medications including Sudafed, Tylenol Cold & Allergy, and Actifed. I took NyQuil for the first time Saturday night and all day Sunday. I realized my recovery is faster after I stop taking medications. It was better to “tough it out” by taking Vitamin C, drinking green tea, eat chocolate, drink orange juice, and eat fruits. The last time I got a sore throat and cough with mucus in January 2009, I took Tylenol for a few days. I stopped taking Tylenol and continued Vitamin C, green tea, chocolate, orange juice, and fruits. My recovery went faster.

Moreover, mucus or phlegm is good. The mucus is the body’s way to move the bad stuff away from your body. I considered taking Mucinex. I did research that mucus helps a body recover from sickness. I didn’t take Mucinex and I tough it out.

The last time I skipped classes due to illness was Fall Semester 1996 at San Jose State. I went home after attending Macroeconomic Analysis. Today was the first time I skipped classes at De Anza due to illness. Technically, it was the second time. The first time happened in Spring ’09 taking Beginning Weight Lifting. It was a PE class and I don’t count it.

The fatigue bug, fatigue sickness, stress, crabby and down days, resulted in the flu. My feeling was I could have gotten sick anytime since the beginning of February. I was able to delay getting the flu. Perhaps, the timing was perfect this is the time to get the flu. Finals are three weeks away. I have an Intro to Bus mid-term on Wed I don’t need to pass because I already earned my two good scores out of three. I can’t wait to fully recover.

Tue Mar 8

I had trouble sleeping last night, yet I felt much better than Sunday. I felt more focused today since the beginning of February. No sickness, no stress, no crabby, not feeling down. I felt some fatigue obviously because I didn’t sleep well last night. The timing was in my favor getting the flu now instead of during finals.

Getting sick was inevitable. The weeks of survival delayed getting the flu, and the rest of the quarter is survival. All I care is passing my classes.

My classmate emailed me earlier today telling me I missed nothing in Intermediate Acct. I don’t care about Intro to Bus class. I just want to pass my classes and start fresh for Spring ’11. A, B, or C doesn’t matter.

It was another relaxing day in Quickbooks. We finished most of Chap 4 and the homework assignment was easy.

Wed Mar 9

From worse to getting better now, today was a real experience of turning 180 degrees. I woke up in the worse condition possible. I felt this week’s sickness was the worse sickness in my life. My eyes were red and watery, my mucus or phlegm had some blood, and my throat felt rough like sandpaper when I swallow. Unrelated to my sickness, I’m having minor gum problems. I rinse my mouth with hydrogen peroxide. I couldn’t sleep because my coughing kept me awake.

Then I realized I forgot the most important fluid one drinks when a person is sick. It was water. I forgot to drink water yesterday. I started drinking water in the morning. Hours later, my eyes and throat improved. I coughed less. I was able to take short periods of sleeps. There was no more blood in my mucus.

I thought about making an appointment to see my doctor at 10am. The last time I saw my doctor was March 2008. I emailed my classmate in Intermediate Acct and the instructor in Intro To Business I’m staying home. The rest of the day I drank water and stayed in bed. I also took 1,000mg of vitamin C and I drink a cup of green tea. I stopped eating chocolate, drinking coke, and orange juice.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Feb 28, 2011

Mon Feb 28

I experienced fatigue for the past four weeks. Perhaps the fatigue is not stress related and not being overwhelmed. Stress may be health related. I know people who had the flu, been sick, or felt tired. It’s better to be fatigued than being sick and bedridden.

I could blame my classes. My Intermediate Acct and Intro to Business reached the most boring peak in the quarter. Boringness equals tiredness, not fatigue. The professor in Intermediate Acct confirmed he removed Chap 17 for the final. The instructor skipped some slides because he felt the class was bored. We were. The class was dismissed 15 minutes early.

I arrived in Intermediate Acct five minutes late. I missed nothing. I rushed getting to school. Rushing a wet shave was not worth it. I cut myself twice. I planned to skip Mon night’s dance class. I parked at Sterling parking garage instead of Flint. The drive inside campus took more time than I thought. One car blocked me making a left turn to Sterling garage. It could have been longer because there was one way traffic due to paramedics blocking one lane.

Tue Mar 1

It is March already. This quarter is faster than Fall ’10. In a blink of an eye it’s finals which is the third full week of March.

I ate an early dinner at the Mission College cafeteria. The price was reasonable $6 for a burger, fries, and Pepsi. The burger tasted plain. I saw three students talking about accounting. I looked at their textbook. It was intermediate accounting.

Tonight’s Quickbooks lecture was easygoing. I listened and followed the lecture. I completed next week’s homework assignment. The instructor posted solutions to Chap 1-3 to help us prepare for the in-class mid term.

Wed Mar 2

I got the fatigued sickness. I felt weak and fatigue throughout the day. Today was the day for the lectures to go by fast. It went by fast or at least faster than my past boring lecture. In Intermediate Accounting, we reviewed the Chap 16 CPA questions and started learning Chap 18. My instructor for Computer Acct. Systems walked in the classroom to get calculators from the storage. The students who knew her gave her cheers.

I submitted the extra credit time value of money exercises for Intro To Business. The instructor emails me a code to complete the extra credit. I can use the extra points because it looks like I’m not going to be ready for the third mid-term if my fatigue sickness gets worse. I found out Grubb & Ellis, a commercial real estate company I worked for, issued a REIT mutual fund. Interesting.

I went home to eat lunch instead of staying on campus. There were no leftovers. I cooked lunch and took a nap. Then I went to dance class. We reviewed the West Coast Swing. I need to practice at home. Then we learned the Salsa. The Salsa substitute teacher appeared. The instructor actually ran the class. I had trouble concentrating because I was really tired. I needed to get strength and energy fast because the Intermediate Acct Chap 16 homework was due tonight a midnight.

The weekend movie is Singin’ In The Rain.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Feb 21, 2011

Mon Feb 21

President’s Day holiday. Campus closed. I needed the break after three weeks of fatigue and stress. The three day weekend gave me time to refocus as the Winter ’11 quarter enters March next week.

Tue Feb 22

It was another easy day in Quickbooks. The instructor continued his detailed lectures and tells us what to read and what not to read. The homework assignments have been easy. Today’s lesson I completed the homework assignment due next week.

Parking was easier because I have plenty of $1 bills to pay for parking.

Wed Feb 23

I scored an 82% on the Intermediate Acct mid-term. I take it. The professor said the overall scores were better than his past classes. He didn’t comment on the class average and he didn’t announce the curve. I talked to a few classmates. We agreed the mid-term was not hard. There was too much to know.

The professor explained the written portion. Most of the students ignored his explanation as we conversed with each other and compared our answers. Sorry, professor. We were worried and most of us were relieved we passed.

My changes reading, doing homework, and studying a little each day has worked. I followed the professor lecture for Chapter 16. There has been no stress for Intermediate Acct and Intro to Business.

We discussed the Libya unrest and oil stocks in Intro to Business. The class was focused and attentive. The second part of the lecture we talked about Chapter 14. The class was unfocused and inattentive, lol.

I ate out for the second time in a row. There were no leftovers from home. I ordered a crispy chicken bento box at Tapioca Express. The bento was delicious.

There was a substitute teacher for dance class. The instructor had a performance. The substitute taught Salsa. I didn’t like him because he taught patterns too difficult for beginners in past classes. I was surprised tonight’s lesson was easier; however, he still failed to engage the students like our dance instructor. I gave him kudos he improved.

The weekend movie is King Kong (1933).

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Feb 14, 2011

Mon Feb 14

The past three weeks feeling fatigued, unfocused, and frustrated are summed up by the little things. I believe in the little things add up to big things. The little stress out instances and moments, the small uncontrollable events, and bad timing add up to bad luck, bad feelings, bad attitude, and my face frowning. For example, too many red signal lights, rude customers in front of me at the checkout line, slow thinking people, product out of stock, and bad dinners. Time moves on and my life turns around in time.

The professor passed out the practice mid-term in Intermediate Acct. In 40 minutes, I managed to answer 50% of the mid-term. The class anticipated Wed’s mid-term is very similar. There were lots of CPA questions. The professor mentioned some students asked for the mid-term to be delayed again. I disagreed.

In Intro to Business, we took the second mid-term. Almost all of the questions were from the lecture
Powerpoint notes. I wasted my time if I read the book. The flash cards memorizing the researches on motivating employees helped.

The practice mid-term gave me the impression Wed’s mid-term is harder than I thought. I went home after Intro to Business and skipped Mon night’s dance class. I spent tonight and tomorrow studying.

Tue Feb 15

Tomorrow’s Intermediate Acct mid-term is like real life working in a company. I have a better understanding working as a staff in a commercial real estate company. The brokers experienced last minute changes, a final push to prepare for their presentation, cramming research information and facts, and focusing on closing the deal thereby the client signs the contract. It was hard to hate the brokers when I worked in commercial real estate. I focused all day on the mid-term as if I’m making a presentation involving millions of commission revenue for my company. Nothing else bothered me.

It was another kickback day in Quickbooks class. The instructor assigned another homework assignment in Chapter 2 we completed in class. I followed the lecture on my laptop. I printed the homework in .pdf ready to submit next week.

I must make changes how I study Intermediate Acct and Intro to Business after the mid-term. I don’t want to overstudy like I have been doing the last week. Intermediate Acct is getting harder. The last two homework assignments I scored 70s and 80s in Intro to Business class. Changes and new priorities are going to be done starting on Thur. One idea is spread the reading and homework assignments in Intermediate Acct over two days instead of cramming reading and homework in one day. Three days is acceptable. I read the chapter a second time, write notes, and analyze the illustrations and examples to better comprehend the concepts.

Wed Feb 16

I felt relieve. Studying for the Intermediate Acct mid-term was like studying for a final. The mid-term is over. The mid-term was the hardest I ever took at De Anza. The mid-term was harder than many of my Economic mid-term at San Jose State. I’m free. I’m relaxed. It’s time to catch up on other activities and commitments. First, get lots of sleep.

I scored a 90% on my Intro to Business mid-term #2. My two 90% scores satisfy the mid-term criteria. We take three mid-terms, and the instructor drops the lowest score. Two 90% scores are not too shabby. I felt the second mid-term was harder than the first. The instructor said more people did better on mid-term #2 compared to mid-term #1. I start reviewing the Powerpoint lecture notes before completing the homework assignment and study at least 10 days before the mid-term.

I ate at McDonalds because there was no left over dinner at home. It was the first time I ate out in Winter ’11. The two mid-terms are completed. I have free time to cook again instead of eating the same lunch and dinner three days straight.

It was another small turnout in dance class. We reviewed the West Coast Swing and then we danced the Waltz. I chatted with two classmates and the assistant. One topic was the GRE. All of us had bachelors degrees and we talked about going back to school and people having jobs are lucky.

Another activity I catch up is watching another classic movie. The next movie is Jaws.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Feb 7, 2011

Mon Feb 7

Intermediate Acct and Intro to Business are almost guarantees I fall asleep regardless how much I sleep the night before. Today’s lectures were boring and I almost feel to sleep in both classes. The instructor for Intro to Business let class out early because it was really getting boring. He’s a good lecturer and communicator. He needs to make his content more interesting.

Going back to Intermediate Acct, the professor lectured Chap 15 which is the last chapter for the mid-term on Mon Feb 14. The class mood seemed concerned the professor Chap 15 lecture is incomplete and there is no time for questions on the mid-term for Wed’s class. My classmates and I agreed Chap 14 is easier than Chap 13 even though Chap 13 talked about liabilities and contingencies which are easy to understand.

I reviewed Chap 13 and Chap 14 in the library after my late lunch. I made the choice to skip studying the CPA questions. I feel CPA questions are not asked on the mid-term, and if CPA questions are included, it’s a small percentage of the points. The CPA questions are not worth my studying time. Studying Chap 13 and 14 was boring. It must be I’m ready for the mid-term for those two chapters.

We were terrible reviewing the Nite-Club Two Step. I was off timing myself. We need more practice. I hope we improve significantly before the Dance Demonstration. We learned more Rumba afterwards. I reviewed the Fall ’10 Rumba by looking at my notes when I got home.

Side note: My Intermediate Acct is also used in San Jose State.

Tue Feb 8

Another terrible Tuesday. Today and last Tuesday I was fatigued I took a nap after 12:30pm. The positive were I started studying Bus 10 mid-term #2 and started the Chap 15 homework. There were stress and rush towards Quickbooks. Installing Quickbooks and downloading the classroom files took longer than I thought. I had no clean socks. Lucky I found a pair near my bed, lol. I didn’t have time to eat lunch at home or at the cafeteria. I purchased Pop Tarts and Twix. Lots of cars rushed into the parking lot. If I arrived ten minutes earlier, then there were fewer cars entering the parking lot, smaller line paying for parking, and less stress felt along my back.

The lecture discussed Chap 1 and Chap 2. The instructor went through the homework assignment due next week. I followed his lecture on my laptop. The end of the class we completed the homework assignment. I printed the required assignments in .pdf I print next Tue.

Wed Feb 9

One of Murphy’s Law states anything that can go wrong will. Today was an example of that Murphy’s Law. From the little things such as shaving, the middle such as rushing broiling chicken, and to the big things such as misreading my homework assignment, it was a stressful day. Today was a day there was nothing positive to cheer me up. It was a crabby, down day. The college workload begins this week. I need to find time getting information to complete my AA degree requirements papers.

There was one positive. The Intermediate Acct mid-term is delayed to next Wed. The class felt a little relief. My feeling was the class overall is still worried despite an extra two days.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Jan 31, 2011

Mon Jan 31

Yesterday one of my friends and I talked about grades and classes. He approaches his semester by concentrating on learning the concepts instead of worrying about mid-terms and grades. I’m going to try his approach. I was raised to study hard and get A’s. I worry about failing on my mid-terms. Starting today, I focus on just learning and understanding the concepts. Whatever grade I earn on my mid-term, I earn it.

That approach came at good timing. Intermediate Acct is getting boring. The material is not hard. It takes time to understand. I concentrate on learning and understanding. Worrying about the mid-term is secondary. I hope focusing on the learning objectives make Intermediate Acct less boring and more exciting.

Today’s Intro to Bus lecture was long and boring. The instructor finished his lecture ten minutes early. Thank goodness. One concept he lecture was the SWOT analysis or Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. I learned SWOT when I took a business plan class in Winter ’06.

We spent half of the class reviewing the Nite Club Two Step. The review was needed badly. Many students including me forgot the final routine. The last 45 minutes we started to learn the Rumba. The basic was review. Then we learned a new move that was difficult for me.

Tomorrow is my first day at Mission College. I’m taking Quickbooks. I include my Tuesdays at Mission College in the De Anza blog.

Tue Feb 1

My first day at Mission College. I arrived 40 minutes before class started. I walked around the small campus. First, I found my lecture room. Second, I got my student ID card. Third, I walked inside the cafeteria. The food prices are cheaper than De Anza. Pepsi is the fountain soda; however, there is Coke in a can next to the deli sandwiches. My favorite was the grill serves breakfast all day. Great! I try their grill food one of these days. I purchased a bag of Lays BBQ chips. The campus center has a modern look.

There is a grace period for parking. Parking enforcement allows students to park free of charge. I did the math. It’s cheaper for me to pay the daily rate instead of purchasing a semester parking permit.

I walked inside the classroom 10 minutes before class started. The classroom is a lecture room. There are no computers. The teacher was calling tech support because Quickbooks was not installed in the classroom PC. The tech staff arrived with Quickbooks 10 minutes after class started to install Quickbooks. In the meantime, the teacher explained the green sheet including the classroom hours. The class is actually two hours lecture and one hour homework time where students can ask the teacher for help. Initially, I thought the class was three hours lecture. The teacher explained because of budget cuts, he was able to add an extra hour for each class meeting to help students.

Next week, I bring my laptop installed with Quickbooks. There are outlets along the right side and back of the room. I follow his lecture on my laptop. I purchased the textbook at Amazon.

Side note: Winter ’10 is the second time I attended two colleges. The first time was in Fall 1994 where I attended San Jose State Mon, Wed, and Fri and West Valley College Tue and Thur.

Wed Feb 2

The fatigue bug must be spreading this week. I took a long nap Tue afternoon after I ate lunch. Today, I was half fatigued. I almost went to sleep in Intro to Bus class. I kept awake because I walked around campus for ten minutes to get fresh air. I was half focused reading Chapter 15 in accounting in the library. I noticed some students were fatigued.

I was tired of eating the same breakfast I wanted something different. I went to Safeway and purchased English muffins and sausage. I went home and ate them plus apples for breakfast. I drove to school at 12:15pm. I arrived in Intermediate Acct at 12:45pm. The signal lights were against me. I managed to sign the attendance sheet after class. The professor announced the mid-term Mon Feb 14 which is also the same day as my second Intro to Bus mid-term.

I had a small reunion with four classmates from Integrated Computer Acct. I talked to two of them before Intro to Bus and the other two when I ate lunch inside the campus center.

Today’s dance class attendance was the smallest since the first day. I recognize a few missing students. It must have been the fatigue bug. We continued practicing the West Coast Swing and then we learned the Cha Cha Cha. The teacher and the assistant corrected me on my West Coast Swing mistakes.

No weekend movie because of Super Bowl.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Jan 24, 2011

Mon Jan 24

I arrived five minutes late in Intermediate Acct class. The reason was I shopped at Safeway to buy bananas for my snack between classes. I was surprised the checkout lines were long just after 12pm. All I wanted was to buy bananas. The end of the class my classmate showed me how to calculate bonuses and the instructor collected the two take-home quizzes.

I took my first mid-term in Intro to Business. The instructor said the mid-term is easy. It was easy. The mid-term was a joke. My impression was most students earn at least a B because most of them took other business, accounting, and/or economic classes. The first 5 chapters were basic accounting and economics. We reviewed some of the mid-term during the second half of the class. I missed two questions. If I just reviewed the powerpoint slides before the mid-term, then I answered one of the missed questions correctly. I studied the powerpoint slides two times.

The weather continued to be unseasonable warm. I ate outside the campus center for the first time. I believed it was the first time I ate outdoors when I stayed at De Anza for the entire day. There were plenty of open tables and I didn’t have to walk around searching for a clean table inside.

We continued learning the Nite Club Two Step in dance class. The mood was happy the instructor continued teaching us past the end time. I learned new moves.

Wed Jan 26

Today I felt crabby and gloomy like last week. The last ten days starting on Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday I wasn’t myself. There was no “Hey Jude” to cheer me up. The long line in Safeway was bad timing. I went back to Safeway to buy granola bars for my snack between classes. The long line, bad timing with the signal lights, and forgetting to make a right turn before the Flint Center parking garage to avoid the exiting traffic resulted in arriving 10 minutes late for Intermediate Acct. I was lucky I signed the attendance sheet.

The professor told the class the textbook we use is the same textbook a local private university uses. The textbook sucks. I joked with two of my classmates such that if we do better than the accounting students at the local private university, we should get scholarships and take accounting classes there. The professor continued with the chapter lecture. We’re behind in the course schedule. The concepts are not easy. I do my best and I finish before the deadline.

The average score was a 36 out of 50 for the first Intro to Business mid-term. I scored a 45 which was not too bad for studying the powerpoint slides twice and not reading the textbook. My intuition was strong. We watched another video. The video talked about entrepreneurs. The instructor shared his all-time favorite books. Two of his all-time favorites are also my all-time favorites: Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The instructor told the class he reads the books more than once to remind and remember the key concepts useful for his businesses and partnerships. The last 30 minutes we completed an entrepreneur questionnaire to see if we have what it takes to be an entrepreneur and he opened the class to questions about starting a business. My questionnaire score barely made “the transitional range. With some serious work you can probably develop the outlook you need for running your own business.”

Turnout was the smallest in dance class. We refined the West Coast Swing. Then we started to learn the Cha Cha Cha. I made a few notes on my mistakes I correct next week.

The movie for the week is On The Waterfront. Last week’s movie was A Philadelphia Story.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar